I love Scrivener.
It is the best writing tool and I couldn’t imagine writing without it now. I’ve also been using Scrivener to format my ebooks for the last five years and that has been fine.
Until recently.
In the last few weeks, a reader reported that a couple of my books had a formatting issue with the Kindle Look Inside on Amazon.com.
I checked and found that the spacing and alignment was screwed up. But in my Scrivener file and my KDP Preview, and even in the ebook itself, the formatting was fine. It was just a problem in the Look Inside Previewer. Perhaps there was an update inside Amazon that interacted with the particular way my formatting worked. Who knows? But whatever it was, I needed to fix it.
Because it was costing me sales.
Paying a formatter is one option, but when you publish a lot and you like to update back matter and fix typos or issues yourself, then having control is more important.
Then I heard about Vellum.
Their tagline is Easily Create Beautiful Ebooks, and that’s exactly what the software does. Here are some of the highlights for me:
- It’s incredibly easy to use. You just import a Word docx file and you can basically use it as-is
- You can also use the various Book Styles to change the look to something funkier
- You can preview the design as it will look in the various ebook readers, within the program
- It has template pages like Copyright, About the Author and More Books by the Author which have extra functionality, like areas for social media links and default text.
- You can import images and it will format them correctly, with extra text and links and resizing
- It makes boxsets REALLY easy. Seriously, if you haven’t done boxsets yet, as a single author or with multi-authors, then check it out. Here’s the specific Vellum boxset help page.
- It outputs the various formats for each of the stores and includes store specific book links in the Back Matter
It's basically the best tool for the ebook formatting job.
I use a lot of online tools (here's a list), and each has one job. By using Scrivener to format, I was trying to make that tool do more than one job. I'm super thrilled to find a tool that specializes in formatting.
There is one downside. It's Mac only. Sorry, PC people.
My new formatting process
I write in Scrivener and do my own self-edits in Scrivener. Then I export a Word doc to send to my editor.
When I get the changes back, I make them back into Scrivener.
Just to be clear. I still do all the writing and editing in Scrivener. It’s an awesome writing tool and I love love love it. (Here’s a video on how I use it).
But once the book is done, I export as a Word docx and open in Vellum. I use the formatting templates to add the back matter and check everything is beautiful, including adding the Ornamental Breaks to make the book look more professional.
Then I check the formatting on the various devices – which you can do within Vellum! Then I export to the various formats and upload to the stores. Easy peasy.
Click here for my tutorial on how to format your ebooks and print books with Vellum
So right now, I’m currently re-publishing all my ebooks with Vellum versions to give them the same look and feel, plus I'm updating the back matter as I go. The content hasn't changed, just the formatting. If you have my books, you should be able to re-download new versions. (Or you can always email me if you want a new formatted book.)
A word on change
As I mentioned in the blog post on the Digital Commerce Summit, we are living in a time of exponential change.
There are new tools, new opportunities and new markets opening every day. Things we did even a few months ago might not work any more.
We have to be prepared to change our opinions and our practices.
This can be difficult. But it can also be exciting.
I’m learning so much on this business trip that I have a number of other big changes coming in 2017. I’m pretty excited about it, to be honest. I’m a change junkie 🙂 I'll tell you more about it when my thinking is clearer but for now, I'm heading back to my formatting! (Click here to check out Vellum).
How do you format your ebooks? Please leave a comment below and join the conversation.
Cathy Baker says
This is my first visit to your site (after finding your self-pub book on Amazon). I’m bedazzled by your posts as well as the comments. I have much to learn!
Question. I’m preparing to upload my first book to Amazon. Is this a process that someone without uber computer skills can conquer? Would Vellum add to or relieve some of the confusion? I am intimidated by the process, to say the least, but excited, too. Thanks!
Joanna Penn says
You can certainly self-publish without Vellum – just follow KDP instructions https://kdp.amazon.com/
Vellum is a formatting tool that makes it easier to produce more beautiful ebook files.
RaShell Lashbrook says
I was so excited to hear about Vellum through a podcast on Soundcloud that I listened to the other evening with you and Orna Ross. I’ve recently finished my first novel, and my official launch is scheduled for April 1st. Needless to say, I’m very frustrated with the formatting issues on Kindle. I had a little laugh when you talked about uploading your books multiple times! I’ve been doing the same. The table of contents continues to be all “wonky” and I’m about to pull out my hair.
Unfortunately, I’m not on a Mac system so at least temporarily, I’ll continue to search for something better. I really appreciate your good tips and advice. I operate a cleaning business as my primary income and utilize the time while I’m working to listen to the wisdom of those that have gone before me. Thank you for sharing your encourage and direction. You’ve been very helpful!
Best regards, Rashell
RaShell Lashbrook says
*encouragement, not encourage!
Luke says
Thanks for the introduction to Vellum, I hadn’t heard about it before, at all.
I recently read a Scrivener review at https://kindlepreneur.com/scrivener-review/ which made no mention of Vellum.
I notice in this article a combination of Scrivener and Vellum is advocated for. Does anyone have experience with using Vellum exclusively?
I’m sure that Scrivener has some advantages over Vellum in terms of writing and editing capabilities, but would it be possible to carry out the entire book production process, from start to finish, in Vellum? Has anyone tried that?
It’s always cool to come across a new tool 🙂 thanks again for the suggestion.
Joanna Penn says
I use Scrivener for writing and Vellum for formatting – they are 2 different things.
Janet Wellington says
Hey, Joanna: I’m at a crossroads….need a new computer and I saw a demo at RWA in San Diego last summer that got me leaning to make the switch to a Mac product. I was kind of embarrassed to say, “Oh, yeah, I’m switching COMPLETELY everything I own just so I can use Vellum. But, you know, your post really has me convinced. Would you mind sharing with me what computer you use/recommend (since of course I’ve never bought an Apple/Mac product….just curious….I do have some professional folks to help me, but I would love to know what you use. I’ve been using Scrivener to formatting up to this point. So, I think everything is about to change and I could feel your joy and excitement…..so, thank you for pushing me over the edge! Janet Wellington
Janet Wellington says
yikes–pardon my typos….sheesh
Joanna Penn says
I use a MacBook Pro and love it 🙂 Happy formatting!
Janet Wellington says
Purchased a MacBook Pro for my birthday in May….just exploring AND working with Vellum tutorial today. Is there a paper book available — a how-to using Vellum? I have a hard time bouncing between screens, etc., so wondered if someone had put out a book or ebook (a “how-to”). Thanks!
Kevin Sivils says
Does Vellum handle the creation of Table of Contents?
Joanna Penn says
Yes 🙂
Michelle Monkou says
I’ve been writing/editing in Scrivener. Transferring to Word for more revisions and TOC. Then uploading directly into Kindle and using D2D for the others. Updating anything brings me to tears. I really do need to get Vellum. I’ve heard no complaints from users. You added the exclamation point.
Ben McGinnes says
Well, since you asked. This is tested and operational in producing print and EPUB 3.0.1 output for both prose and poetry/verse (without doing annoying things with fixed width fonts).
The writing/first draft just uses LibreOffice (I’ve been tweaking it for a while), but that’s converted to the production format on a chapter by chapter basis and that’s where the editing is done.
The production platform and file format uses the DITA for Publishers (D4P) XML specification (a specialisation of the DITA standard), which is edited and managed with oXygenXML Editor. D4P is a specially customised implementation of DITA developed specifically to produce the output needed by traditional publishing in print and digital books.
When properly configured this can be used to build a fully validating EPUB 3.0.1 file with features that may include font embedding and various other things in a single click. Though I generally spend an extra 5 to 10 minutes to tweak the metadata properly and move the nav.xhtml file past the dedication so the table of contents is where it should be. I’ve also spent a fair bit of time tweaking and crafting the CSS I use with EPUBs.
I can then use the same source files to build print ready files or the major components of them just by selecting a different build transformation. DITA/D4P includes features to use different content in specific locations depending on the build (e.g. to change ISBN according to output format or select 72 DPI images for EPUB, etc.).
Depending on other preferences with print, a copy of Acrobat Pro is advisable, but a decent CSS to PDF renderer is essential. The two affordable ones, relatively speaking, are Prince XML and RenderX’s XEP. I’ve been using the one produced in my home town, Prince XML.
Images were usually prepared with The GIMP and Inkscape. No doubt some people prefer Illustrator and Photoshop; whatever floats your boat.
For the EPUB production the only component that isn’t free is oXygenXML Editor. With the maintenance subscription and the personal license it’s absolutely worth it.
For the print production, none of the additionally listed software is free. It may be possible to produce printed output in other ways using free software, but the layout may not be as good and the frustration levels trying to get it to work might be beyond annoying. Depending on the method.
Not counting the Adobe software, all of the above costs under $1,000.00 (including oXygenXML Editor personal subscription for 2 years).
The major caveat for others is that there is a bit of learning curve and I came to it with a strong IT background. With an even steeper learning curve, oXygenXML Editor can be skipped and a combination of using a text editor to make the XML and running the DITA-OT directly for the builds. I do *not* recommend that. Cutting corners on software costs should be done elsewhere. Still, it is theoretically possible to do everything except the CSS to PDF rendering for free and there may be viable alternatives for that, depending on user requirements.
Getting this build process up and running and customised to the point it’s at now was not quick, but I consider it an investment in the future. Mainly because it can adhere to standards, is platform independent and produces rather impressive results. It’ll let me produce multiple page and font size output for print within minutes of each other too.
All I’ve really left out of this is links to all the software (because I know what akismet does to link heavy comments), but most of the domains are guessable and Google will provide them all too.
Norine says
I’m hoping Vellum eventually creation a version for PC users. Would be nice!
Joanna Penn says
They’ve said they won’t be doing one because it’s not their development expertise. You can use MacInCloud on PC.
Virginia Winters says
Hi Joanna: I’ve followed you for some time and always find your advice useful. However, in recommending Vellum, you have outdone yourself. I’ve spent the last 5 months republishing my 4 books, after the publisher retired and I struggled with the process at Amazon, Create Space and Smashwords. Then you blogged about Vellum. What took me five months, I have redone in 5 days! I also use Scrivener and love it for all it can do, but Vellum makes the final steps so much easier. Thanks so much for introducing me to this terrific programme.
Stuart H Warren says
The only thing that might get me to switch from Jutoh to Vellum would be if they had figured a way to keep image descriptions with the image. So far, nothing on Kindle seems to be able to keep an image description with it’s image.
I’ve converted 70+ books to Kindle mobi format with Jutoh and am amazed by what it can do, and all the output formats it supports. I’ll look at Vellum, but it will have to be incredible to switch from Jutoh.
Eleyne-Mari Sharp says
I want to thank you for this blog post, Joanna! I love Scrivener, too, but I spent a week trying to get my ebook formatting to comply with what was depicted in my Editor. (Mainly, quotation marks and commas were going the wrong way and it didn’t matter if I changed the font.) Each time I hit the “Compile” button, I was disappointed.
However…
After just 15 minutes with Vellum, I am totally in love with this program! I purchased the ebook/print package and I am breathing a GREAT sigh of relief because my ebook launch is in a few weeks and I will have this project formatted in a day or two.
Like you, I will continue to use Scrivener for writing and editing, but Vellum is SO easy and the price is worth it. Thanks again!
Gary says
If I purchase Vellum, am I right in thinking that I can use it for both ebooks AND print books? I.e. I don’t need createspace too?
Joanna Penn says
Createspace is where you publish the files you create on Vellum. They are 2 different things. Check this out: http://www.thecreativepenn.com/how-to-self-publish-a-print-book/
Gary says
Thank you.
I’ve just checked the price for Vellum & it starts at $199. That is very expensive for first time authors – would you suggest using a formatting company for my first book instead?
Joanna Penn says
You’re going to spend that in formatting costs within 2-3 books if you pay a company, so you need to decide whether or not you will be doing more books and how much control you want to have. But yes, you could always use someone to do it for you the first time – check out https://www.thecreativepenn.com/formatting/
Rolf says
I’m in the process of moving to Scrivener from Ulysses. I have Vellum and use an Word export template in Ulysses that helps match up the format for Vellum. Is there something like that for Scrivener’s Word export? I find I end up updating my Vellum files and would hate to have to put all those fancy breaks in by hand.
Yvonne Carder says
I just used the preview of Vellum and it’s amazing. I will purchasing it very soon so that I can update my lead magnet and my novel as soon as it is ready to publish. Talk about making your work look super professional. It’s awesome.
Rolf says
In case anyone read my post and has the same question, it looks like Vellum covers importing from Scrivener here: help.vellum.pub/importing/
Gregory Acuna says
What about buying a cheap MAC to use Vellum? Any suggestions?
Lorelei says
I love Vellum. I’ve been using it for just over a year. However, I just discovered a weakness in the program, and I’m not very happy about it. I was formatting a science fiction story – so there are a number of words that look like they are spelled wrong! They are supposed to be there. I didn’t change them. They are spelled the way the author wanted them spelled in my word document. But Vellum auto-corrected them and I didn’t notice until after the book was published. I do not know how to prevent this from happening again. I’ve contacted Vellum, and will let you know if I find anything out from them.
TOMM WELCH says
How do I, as a proofreader, edit a vellum file in MS Word and return it as a Word file to the author?
Joanna Penn says
You can’t. You need to Export to RTF out of Vellum and then edit that. I only use Vellum for final formatting, so my process is to write in Scrivener, then export to Word for my editor to go through, then make the changes back into Scrivener, then export to Word again for importing to Vellum. Sounds like a lot, but each step of the process means I can track all changes and keep multiple copies.
Olivia Dawson says
I love Vellum, too! Great results. My only hiccup is that I can’t figure out how to delete books from the program. (Sigh)There must be a way to get rid of all my trial and error attempts from the directory. Still, not a deal breaker. My manuscripts look uber professional, plus this is one of the easiest software programs to navigate.
Peter Blyth says
I had almost decided on Vellum ( I write in open office, I don’t get on with Scrivener at all), but then I heard (on one of your pod casts in fact) about pronoun. I know some people format on vellum and just use Pronoun for distribution but it looks like I could do my e book formatting within pronoun too and save the cash
But the again there’s the issue of formatting print books, so I may yet buy Vellum for that, and if I do I may as well use it for all my formatting… decisions decisions